Self-Guided Geothermal Tour in Orakei Korako

Such a beautiful spot. Coming down the hill to the visitors centre is breathtaking. The staff are friendly, informative and ready for a laugh. The site is well maintained, well sign posted and an easybwalk even though there are 600+ steps. Make sure you go up to all the look outs and DO NOT miss the cave, that space is truly magical. This may not be important to everyone but to me the toilets were the cleanest and freshest smelling of all the public toilets I had been in this trip. As its a little bit off the main highway it wasnt over crowded and you certainly didn't feel like you had to rush at any point. Highly recommend over some of the other thermal parks.

Do this! You’ll be amazed. Easy walk and quick ferry ride. I was blown away.

What a great place! Small visitor center to check in and then take the boat over to the trail. Well marked trail to follow leading to a number of features (mud pools, hot springs, silica terraces, and a cave). The path is not long but lots of steps, so wear good shoes and bring water The place was not overwhelmed with folks. Even though there were 10 folks on our boat over after 15 minutes we were mostly by ourselves as folks move at different paces and take different routes. Great 2 hours, very glad we came. We actually liked this better than Wai O Tapu. It is a bit off the beaten track but well worth it

New Zealand is has some of the worlds most incredible geothermal attractions – so of course we did the thermal parks! This was our second thermal park- and by far the best! (perhaps the most underrated) is Orakei Korako. We also did Waiotapu the same day (and that park was busyyy) and when we got to Orakei it was empty. We had the entire place to ourselves. I wondered if the rainy weather was keeping people away- or perhaps it’s that much of a hidden / underrated gem? But the beauty here far surpassed the other park!!! It was interesting to experience both Waiotapu & Orakei - to see the vast differences between the two - and Orakei was our fave by far. If you are debating over the two parks- this one wins by far! Compared to other geothermal park we did - there are relatively few visitors here - which makes the experience even more special. You can explore the park at your own pace without feeling rushed or crowded viewing the beautiful park. It also felt less tourist / commercialized as the other did. It really just felt like a family owned spot that allows tourists to come enjoy their beauty. The beautifully designed walking trail (about 2.5 km) is maintained with great care and easy to follow self guide signs everywhere. From the welcome center - there is a constant boat shuttle that takes you across the lake were the park / trails is! The boat captain was friendly and told us to sign the bell at the docks when we were ready to be picked up. We got dropped off at the docks on the thermal park side and felt like the entire place was to ourselves! The trails are easy to follow and has a nice boardwalk path right along all the activity! The colors, textures & steam just make you feel out of this world! Photos don’t really do it justice to see the power of Mother Nature. Highly recommended for anyone looking to experience New Zealand’s geothermal beauty in a relaxed and laidback setting! This place needs MORE attention! It’s amazing !!!

This is different experience to other geothermal areas. You get to enjoy a boat ride across the water and then follow the paths on the walk and to the cave. You need a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy it and it gets hot along the way.

We decided to do this trip as we are staying in Taupo & had been to the Aratiatia Rapids and then done the Huka Falls Cruise in the morning and had some time to spare. We are so glad we did as it was incredible. Not at all touristy, really friendly staff . After a quick safety briefing and someone being nominated as the 'responsible' adult for your party, we were taken across the lake to the geothermal area. This is done ona request basis, so there is no waiting or timed visits. Safety is taken extremely seriously as you are self guiding your trip. There are well maintained wooden walkways throughout the park & you must stick to these. There is a variety of mud pools, hot water ponds, stunning coloured terraces and boiling streams. There is a geyser that performs randomly and after being dormant for 17 years has recently come to life again. It performed 3 times on the day we were there which was unusual, but we were lucky enough to catch it. I would highly recommend this trip, it is well worth the entrance fee, and there is a cafe and toilets as well as a nice spot for picnics. Probably the least busy and unspoiled geothermal parks in the area. Well worth the trip.

This was the second of the four thermal parks we visited, with this one highly recommended by Lonely Planet and thus was the one I prioritized because of that. I agree that it was either the best or second best thermal site we visited because it displays a number of thermal environments (though my husband prefers a different thermal park). You start with a short (included) ferry ride across Lake Orakei. These basically depart on demand (there is even a doorbell on the opposite side to call a boat). The 2.5 km walk takes about 1.5 hrs and takes you through three zones: green (near the lake with the emerald terrace), blue (colourful thermal views) and red (more forested which includes Aladdin's (or Sacred / Rautapu)) cave. If limited in time I would prioritize the green and blue zones with two lookouts, soda fountain, rainbow and cascade terrace, golden fleece terrace, elephant rock and Artists' palette lookout. These are very colourful and really define the thermal experience. The red forested trail is also worthwhile with Aladdin's (Ruatapu) Cave and mud pools which we easily fitted in. Very professional service. They do take their safety seriously with evacuation points clearly explained and documented. They even warn you it can be a bit warmer in the park and suggest you take water. Toilets are only at the ticket office so go before you go.

Fabulous experience with lots to see. Staff were friendly and informative.

The short Ferry and Lake were very scenic, the hike 800 plus step were well worth it. Beautiful area and wonders Geo activity.

Friendly staff. Great experience. Trail was good and not too hard. Need good shoes, hat and plenty of water